Shaun Derry believes Cambridge United have pulled off a coup in bringing Adam Phillips to The Abbey.

The Norwich City under-23s captain put pen to paper last week on a deal which will see him spend the rest of the season playing in Sky Bet League Two.

And although he’s yet to make his EFL debut, despite being named among the subs for the Canaries, his impressive form for the under-23s has left the head coach with no doubt that he can make the step up.

Indeed, he compared his attitude to that of Ryan Ledson – who came in from Everton and went on to make 27 appearances for the U’s in 2015.

“I’m really pleased, he’s been on our watch for a few months now,” Derry said.

“I was very aware of him when he was at Liverpool and to see him go to Norwich was a bit of a shock really.

“Then to see him do as well as he did in the 23s, and if you could get that opportunity to get him here it would have been a brilliant opportunity and we’ve been able to pull it off, so were thankful to Norwich for making it happen.

“If you look at when we got Ryan Ledson – I’m not saying they’re the same player – but [they have] the character to go and play and to really want to be a player, and that's massive for me.”

And Derry filled us in on what to expect from the former Liverpool midfielder.

“He’s a technical player, he’s very efficient with the ball at his feet, he can make things happen, he’s got an eye for a pass and he’s got a shot, he can tackle and he can run around a pitch,” he said.

“And I think as a modern day footballer, a modern day midfielder, he’s going to benefit the group.”